There are two basic types of steering mechanisms for trolling motors manufactured today, electrical and operator-actuated (i.e., physically operated by hand or foot without electrical steering assistance). Examples of electrical steering mechanisms for trolling motors have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,030 to Broussard, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,066, to Davatz. Examples of operator-actuated mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,974 to Griffin et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,056 to Friedle et al. By their very nature, electrical steering mechanisms are more complicated and costly, require more maintenance, and are more susceptible to deterioration from exposure to weather and water as compared to operator-actuated steering mechanisms. Operator-actuated steering mechanisms on trolling motors provide easier boat control as they are simple units with no cables and few wires. Among the operator-actuated steering mechanisms, hand-controlled steering mechanisms are generally easier to use when compared to foot-controlled mechanisms, and are therefore more popular.
Unfortunately, hand-controlled trolling motors have required either a considerable amount of bending over by the operator to steer them, or provision of a control item, such as an extension handle affixed to the trolling motor steering column. The known extension handles reduced, but did not eliminate, the bending required on the part of the operator. Also, in order to alter the direction of boat travel with many of these prior extension handles, it has been necessary to push the handle in a port or starboard direction to thereby turn the trolling motor steering column. However, except for slight turns in a port or starboard direction, it has been necessary to push the extension handle out over the water. Such an operation was clearly unsafe and hazardous, since the operator could readily lose balance and fall overboard or tip the boat into an unsafe position. Moreover, the handle could not be used to reverse the direction of travel of the trolling motor. Instead, it was necessary to place the trolling motor in reverse or manually spin the handle 180 degrees from the boat with loss of considerable leverage potentially available from the extension handle. Many anglers use their feet to steer, by kicking the extension handle to change directions. But this too can be hazardous, as the operator has one foot off of the boat deck when performing this maneuver, and is therefore in an off-balance posture.
Accordingly, the above known methods of steering a trolling motor can be, at least to some degree, dangerous, as well as complicated, inconvenient and less than satisfactory. A need therefore exists for a more convenient, less complicated and safer way of altering and controlling the position of a trolling motor relative to the boat with which it is associated. This invention is deemed to fulfill this need in a highly effective and efficient manner.